Advice for International Grad Breaking into Front Office Finance (2025 FT/Intern)

Hi everyone,

I’m a recent Ivy League grad (3.7+ GPA) with internship experience in public policy, now pivoting into front office finance. Unfortunately, my summer 2025 role fell through, so I’m currently looking for either a summer position or a full-time opportunity in NYC or remote.

I’m an international student with OPT and an eligible STEM extension. I’ve been reaching out to my network and scanning job boards, but I’d really appreciate any additional advice or ideas. Would visiting smaller firms or dropping off resumes in person be worthwhile? Any thoughts on where else to look—or unconventional strategies to try—would mean a lot!

Thanks so much in advance!
 

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Getting an MBA is the most feasible route. Maybe you can try a one year master’s in finance but unlikely that will lead you to achieving your goal in this economy. I am sorry to say this but for non-diverse international students, many fail to land a front office role even with Ivy degree + 3.9+ gpa + 3-4 relevant internships knowing they wanted to pursue banking even before setting their foot on campus. To be brutally honest, not knowing what you should do at this point shows that you are way far behind, as there are more than enough posts on this forum to figure out what your options are right now. 

 

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